Among the Literati

The title of Nat Ferber’s forthcoming book, which will be published any moment, is “One Happy Jew”. Sounds as though Mr. Ferber is being satirical. Mr. Ferber has written a number of novels with a not too varying degree of success.

Two Jewish publishing houses or should I say, two publishing houses run by Jews?, are about to get after one of New York’s lesser literary editors who has shown a surprising amount of prejudice against the books said houses issue. We hope to see somebody’s fur fly.

One of Hitler’s left hands, to wit, Goebbels, propagandist extraordinary, has written a book which he submitted for American publication. The publisher who was considering it received an urgent call from the literary agent asking that the manuscript be returned immediately, saying. “The German government wants it, it’s not any good.”

After nine months in Hollywood and six more in the east nineties, Aben Kandel, author of “Rabbi Burns”, is moving back to Sunnyside, Long Island City, where he expects to finish his novel of New York.

Once a week Walter Winchell, the columnist, runs a piece called “Things I Never Knew Till Now”, in which he sets down what he believes are unusual facts. It is the “Believe It or Not” idea in prose. The column has given rise to a game among the literati who bet on the number of mistakes Mr. Winchell makes each week. His column on the 16th had two bad misses. He said that Hamilton College was located at Colgate, N. Y., when he meant Clinton, N. Y., and remarked that rice is thrown at newlyweds to “ward off want”. See Frazer’s “Golden Bough” for the correct answer to the latter. But then, who knows everything?

An old story has been limping around book circles for years to the effect that Lewis Browne once wrote a book on religious prejudices which he called “For Christ’s Sake”, and his publishers, Macmillian, refused to issue it under that title and Brown was just as adamant about not changing it. It was never issued.

Lowell Brentano, who once had a publishing house of his own, has written a novel in collaboration with Judith Ravel. He is looking for a publisher. Mr. Brentano has written all kinds of things, from plays to articles, but always with a collaborator.

Doris Schneider, who has worked at Liveright’s, Random House and Alfred King’s, has been appointed assistant literary editor of the New York Evening Post. After all those years of crashing the literary columns it must be very comforting to be on the receiving end.

Sime Silverman, owner and editor of Variety, has left for a winter in California. In his absence the paper will be edited by his son, Sydney.

Three cheers for Fanny Hurst! She manages to get herself into all kinds of movements but her latest was a real triumph. With ex-Governor Smith she played an active part in the celebration of Hearn’s department store’s hundredth anniversary. Just what connection she had with the store is slightly mysterious.

The rumor is that Heywood Broun of the World-Telegram is going to leave the paper and work for the Hearst papers. Alice Hughes of the same paper has already left to become a Hearstite.